AL FAAB Factor: Waiver Pickups of the Week

1. Identify likely free agents and discuss their strengths and weaknesses.
2. Estimate how much of your $100 starting free-agent budget you should bid on them.

This year, we're incorporating grids into the FAAB articles, so users can easily see at a glance how certain players stack up against others and how much they should command in a variety of formats.

The grids, which are sortable by column (click on the header), include a very basic "player grade" column. This serves as a reflection of a player's skills and role on an A-E scale. Andrew Benintendi would have been an "A" grade player last year -- that mark will be reserved for similar high-impact prospects stepping into an everyday role.

As always, if there is a player that was not discussed in the article that you would like to know about, feel free to ask about the player in the comments.

Starting Pitcher

Chance Adams, Yankees: Michael Pineda's elbow injury, which seems to have him headed for probable Tommy John surgery, puts a big hole in the Yankees' rotation that the likes of Bryan Mitchell or Luis Cessa are unlikely to adequately fill. Adams, on the other hand, could prove to be just the shot in the arm the young team needs as they try to keep pace in the AL East. The 22-year-old has been lights out this season, posting a 1.03 ERA and 1.09 WHIP in 35 innings for Double-A Trenton before getting bumped up to Triple-A, where he's carried right along with a 2.45 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 9.7 K/9 in 62.1 innings for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. His secondary offerings have improved substantially since his days as a college closer, but Adams still lives and dies by a mid-90s fastball that features excellent life. Given his profile, some growing pains wouldn't be surprising if he did get the call, but his emergence this season seems very reminiscent of Luis Severino's in 2015, and Severino was impressive in 11 big-league starts that year after his promotion. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Parker Bridwell, Angels: Bridwell was optioned down to Triple-A Salt Lake over the All-Star break but curiously never actually pitched for the Bees, meaning it's been 11 days since his last start. That outing was a good one, though – six shutout innings against the Twins – and he's given the Angels quality starts in three of his five turns since being added to the rotation. The former Oriole may not have tremendous upside and has managed just a 19:10 K:BB over 33.1 innings in the majors this year, but he seems to have earned himself a bit of job security. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Luis Cessa, Yankees: Quietly, Cessa's been on a bit of a roll. He tossed 6.2 scoreless innings in his last two appearances for the Yankees before a demotion to Triple-A, where he threw six scoreless innings in a start Thursday. If the team keeps him on schedule, he should rejoin the big-league staff for Tuesday's start in Minnesota. Not much has changed since his last stint in the New York rotation, and his ceiling is limited, but a possible two-start week next period means you need to consider him as a streaming option. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Bartolo Colon, Twins: Prince is no longer with us, so it's nice to see some sex appeal return to the Twin Cities. Colon is expected to get the call Tuesday after a brutal stint in Atlanta and one iffy start for Triple-A Rochester, but the Twins aren't exactly flush with rotation options until Hector Santiago gets healthy. There's really no reason to expect the 44-year-old to suddenly turn things around, but then again Colon has been defying expectations for most of the last decade. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Lucas Giolito, White Sox: The Jose Quintana deal signals that the next round of the White Sox's fire sale has begun, but it also creates a hole in the rotation that someone's going to have to fill. Giolito's hardly been dominant at Triple-A Charlotte this season but has shown recent flashes of unlocking the upside that made him the top pitching prospect in baseball not so long ago, including a two-hit, 10-K effort over seven shutout innings last week. He struggled last year in the majors for the Nats and would likely do the same in 2017 with the ChiSox if he gets promoted at some point, but if it does begin to click for him... 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Miguel Gonzalez, White Sox: In the meantime, Chicago will just stick Gonzalez back into the mix because apparently you can't have too many mediocre right-handers in your rotation. He got lit up by the Orioles on Friday in his return from the DL, and there's really nothing in his profile to suggest better days are ahead. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Ian Kennedy, Royals: It's been an up and down season for Kennedy but he's back on the upswing again, delivering four quality starts in his last five trips to the mound with a 2.67 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 27:8 K:BB in 30.1 innings over that stretch. The 32-year-old may well have been cut loose in shallower leagues last month when his ERA crept above 5.00, so now seems like a good time to give him another look. 12-team Mixed: $3; 15-team Mixed: $7; 12-team AL: Owned

Collin McHugh, Astros: McHugh finally began a rehab stint at the end of June and hasn't exactly looked sharp in his first few appearances, but he'll make one more rehab start Sunday before rejoining the Astros rotation. The 30-year-old has seen his performance steadily decline since bursting onto the scene in 2014, but Houston will give him a chance to regain his old form before turning back to a younger arm – assuming, of course, that they don't just trade for an established arm at the deadline. McHugh's perceived name brand and the strength of the team he'll have around him might push his bidding higher than it should, but don't lose sight of last year's 4.34 ERA and 1.41 WHIP. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $4; 12-team AL: $9

Danny Salazar, Cleveland: Is Salazar finally getting things figured out? His last outing for Triple-A Columbus was encouraging (two hits over five scoreless innings with seven Ks and only two walks) and if he follows it up with another solid start Monday, he could rejoin the Cleveland rotation by next weekend. The 27-year-old's strikeout stuff has never been in question, but his inability to locate his pitches left him with career worsts in BB/9 (4.6) and HR/9 (1.8) before he hit the DL with shoulder soreness. The team could use someone better than Josh Tomlin to round out their staff, and given the market price for pitching at this year's trade deadline, getting Salazar straightened out would provide a huge boost to the team's playoff chances. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: $11

Relief Pitcher

Alex Claudio, Rangers: Back-to-back saves this weekend might make it seem like Claudio has seized the closer role in Texas, but in both cases the left-hander was brought in to face Eric Hosmer and then stayed in to face Sal Perez with Mike Moustakas on deck. That's not to say Claudio hasn't been solid this season, but at best it seems like he'll be a matchup option in the ninth inning against tough lefties, and if someone like Keone Kela steps up even that might be wishful thinking. Don't blow your budget here. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5

Chad Green, Yankees: Green continues to be outstanding, posting a 1.10 ERA, 0.67 WHIP and 24:3 K:BB in 16.1 innings over the last month, and his success has him moving into a seventh-inning setup role in front of Aroldis Chapman and Dellin Betances, neither of whom has been at their best lately. There isn't much chance of Green finding his way into the closer mix for the Yankees, but more holds to supplement his electric numbers in other categories should be on the way. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $4

Keone Kela, Rangers: Kela threw a bullpen session this weekend and is still expected to be ready to come of the DL early next week. He's had a strong rebound season that includes a 42:13 K:BB in 30.2 innings, and the right-hander should be considered the nominal favorite to assume closer duties once he's back in action. If his shoulder soreness lingers, though, Kela might not get much of a chance to prove he can handle the ninth inning. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: $13

First Base

Garrett Cooper, Yankees: The 26-year-old has gone from unheralded Brewers farmhand to starting first baseman for the Yankees in a hiccup, but an 0-for-7 start with five strikeouts to begin his big-league career isn't exactly encouraging. Cooper was slashing .366/.428/.652 for Triple-A Colorado Springs prior to being traded, but, well, it's Colorado Springs. He'll probably platoon with Ji-man Choi for now as Tyler Austin doesn't seem likely to come off the DL any time soon, but if Cooper continues to look overmatched he could get kicked back down to Triple-A, with Matt Holliday assuming more duties at first base. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Third Base

Giovanny Urshela, Cleveland: Jose Ramirez's versatility gives Cleveland a couple of options for replacing Jason Kipnis (hamstring) over the next few weeks, one of which is Urshela at third base. He's got no speed and only a little bit of power, but if the 25-year-old were to get regular at-bats in the majors he could chip in a decent batting average. Think of him as a poor man's Martin Prado. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Shortstop

Erik Gonzalez, Cleveland: The other likely Kipnis fill-in is Gonzalez, who could take over at second base while Ramirez remains at the hot corner. The 25-year-old has started to develop a bit of a power stroke, popping 11 homers in 104 games last year at Triple-A Columbus and following it up with seven homers in 57 games in 2017 split between Triple-A and the majors. On the other hand, Gonzalez's 1:21 BB:K with Cleveland in only 58 plate appearances suggest he could struggle to hit for an acceptable batting average if pressed into regular duty. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Tzu-Wei Lin, Red Sox: Lin just keeps on hitting and now has a .344/.462/.406 slash line over his last 10 games while pushing his way into a regular role with the Red Sox. The 23-year-old won't maintain a .412 BABIP forever, but he's shown good plate discipline (8:11 BB:K in 54 plate appearances), has a solid glove and could steal the occasional base. If Boston doesn't manage to acquire a bigger name third baseman at the deadline, Lin could have some surprising value down the stretch. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Tyler Saladino, White Sox: Saladino returns from a DL stint to a bench role, but shockingly it's not Yoan Moncada but Yolmer Sanchez that's bumped him out of the starting lineup. Of course, Saladino's own .198/.295/.276 slash line has a lot to do with that. If Todd Frazier gets dealt, the 27-year-old utility player could theoretically find his way back into a bigger role, but it seems unlikely. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Outfield

Abraham Almonte, Cleveland: Lonnie Chisenhall's calf injury opens up some playing time in right field over the next few weeks, giving Almonte a little more appeal. He'll likely form the short side of a platoon with Tyler Naquin while filling in occasionally at center and left as well. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Matt Holliday, Yankees: Holliday's gone 1-for-10 this weekend since coming off the DL, but the one hit was a home run Saturday. It looks like the Yankees are going to try and keep him at DH for now, but Cooper's rough start to his big-league career could force them to use the veteran in his place at first base instead. He's been lost in the shuffle a little in New York given all the hype around Aaron Judge but Holliday has quietly been having a very good season with his best OPS since 2013. 12-team Mixed: $5; 15-team Mixed: $13; 12-team AL: Owned

Brock Holt, Red Sox: Holt seems on course to rejoin the Red Sox this week, at the latest by Thursday when his rehab assignment expires. It's unclear what role the utility player will have upon his return, as Lin is doing well at third base and also hits left-handed, making a platoon between them unlikely. Even if Holt is on the bench, though, he should see semi-regular at-bats spelling starters all over the field. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Tyler Naquin, Cleveland: Called up when Chisenhall hit the DL, Naquin's been having a nice season for Triple-A Columbus, slashing .309/.372/.496 with five homers in 35 games, numbers right in line with his big-league performance last year. He may platoon in right field with Almonte over the next few weeks, but if he keeps hitting at this level expect him to assume the starting role instead and potentially have a role even beyond Chisenhall's return. Eight rough games in April isn't enough to disregard the value he provided in 2016. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $4; 12-team AL: $9